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- Furnishing your place is probably the only fun thing about moving. But after paying the security deposit and first month's rent, buying furniture can seem like a nightmare.
- When my fiancé and I were moving into a new apartment, we were looking for inexpensive but durable pieces of furniture that would last a few years and still allow us to eat like normal human beings.
- We didn't want to spend our weekends browsing stores, so we spent our nights browsing Amazon instead and stumbled upon the brand Zinus.
- To date, we've bought a bed frame with a headboard and three tables, and we are so satisfied.
There are two types of furniture - nice investment pieces that start in the high hundreds, or inexpensive throwaway pieces that won't last your next move. When my fiancé and I were moving into a new apartment in New York City a few years ago, we wanted items that were somewhere in the middle. Unsurprisingly, as with everything else we own, we found them on Amazon and they were all from new-to-us brand Zinus.
To date, we have four items from the brand - a king-sized bed frame with headboard, coffee table, media table, and hallway table - and they've all survived two moves. I've written about the bed frame previously for its inexpensive price tag and expensive-looking appearance. After we had the bed frame for a little while and were impressed with the quality and customer service, we decided to see what else Zinus had to offer, which is how we wound up with the three tables.
From what we saw initially, the brand had glowing reviews on Amazon for its mattresses and, of course, the bed frame. Reviews on Consumer Affairs were admittedly pretty awful, but most were also about the brand's mattresses. I've never used its beds before and we weren't in the market for one at the time, but if you're going to buy a product based on reviews (which is why you're reading this, right?), it's fair to say that you might want to look elsewhere for a good night's sleep. I also have to point out that when we were shopping a few years ago, the brand's website was not as well-designed and modern as it is now. In fact, I don't think it even had a website, which is why we relied on reviews so much.
As far as non-bedroom furniture, we were intrigued by the Modern Studio collection for its low-profile styles and neutral dark brown colorway. They had mostly positive reviews with the expected sprinkling of negative experiences. They were also all under $100 and returns were free, so there wasn't anything to lose if the quality was truly awful. The brand also has another line of tables that incorporates lighter-colored wood called Farmhouse; they weren't available when we were shopping.
Our tables arrived flat-packed and with all the screws and tools needed to assemble, which brought back IKEA-induced PTSD but were thankfully a lot easier to set up.
Amazon and Zinus don't state how much the tables can hold, but based on how much we load them with, they can probably hold at least 20 pounds each. We have a large decorative mirror that's easily 10 pounds, a felt letter board, books, and miscellaneous items like hats and gloves that we'd otherwise forget to stuff into our jackets on the hallway console. Our media table holds several succulents, photo frames, and a video game console with tons of games, and the coffee table holds more books, board games, and our occasional feet when we're watching Netflix.
In my experience, all the pieces from Zinus have held up nicely despite the low-price tags.
The bed frame is sturdy and the tables haven't bent out of frame or bowed from excessive weight. The pieces don't look cheap either, which surprised us given how inexpensive they are. Overall, I'd recommend this brand to renters who want decent furniture at a reasonable price and don't want live off instant ramen for a month.
Buy the Zinus Shalini Upholstered Diamond Stitched Platform Bed for $199.99 on Amazon
Buy the Zinus Garrison Modern Studio Collection Media Table for $41.39 on Amazon
Buy the Zinus Kay Modern Studio Hallway Table for $81.99 on Amazon
Buy the Zinus Troy Modern Studio Collection Coffee Table for $94.99 on Amazon
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